Is Steeltown a steal for investors?

With the cost of condos in Toronto surging, it’s only a matter of time before investors find the next hot market. And as it turns out, they might not have to go far.

Hamilton is enjoying a renaissance that’s, in part, being catalyzed by the astronomical cost of living in Canada’s largest city. While Hamilton’s amenities are no match for Toronto’s, they’re showing enough promise to lure millennial-aged Torontonians westward.

“It’s getting harder and harder in places like Toronto and Vancouver to buy a home, like a condo, and rent it and have it make any sense as an investment because you’re paying $1,000 per square foot,” he said. “You’re paying $500,000 for a one-bedroom condo apartment that’s 500 square feet and you’re going to rent it for $2,000 a month, but when you add up your mortgage, your condo fees and taxes, it doesn’t cover it. It certainly doesn’t cover in Vancouver, where that property is $650,000.”

Lamb says Hamilton has benefited from the black hole Toronto’s become. Steeltown has quietly cultivated a strong cultural scene in the city’s downtown, mostly in the James St. radius.

“Toronto’s real estate unaffordability shines a nice light on Hamilton, so investors are looking at alternate places to invest and prospective homeowners are looking for other places to live, where they can have a decent life in a nice home,” said Lamb. “Hamilton is a real city with a real urban vibe. It has a great parks system and an amazing amount of amenities. It’s a real city with a great food scene, and a great art scene, and a great music scene, so to me it makes sense that Hamilton is the next city. It’s a much more vibrant city now than ever. Every year it’s going to get larger, better, richer, and more expensive.”

The Hammer is a medium-sized city with over half a million residents, so it has retained its quaint, small-town charm, but Lamb believes it’s on the cusp of a population boom. Its downtown is lively on Friday and Saturday nights, and Lamb says business always follows in the tracks of younger people.

“Every month I see new things popping up that are very cool,” he said. “What gets me excited about a city is great retail. When you see young people out, it makes you want to visit and it makes businesses want to open there, because businesses want to be where young people are.”

Many millennials are flocking to Hamilton’s tech sector, where they’re paid good wages and promised bright futures, however, the linchpin is the city’s quality of life.

“Hamilton is going to experience a population growth much higher than what they’re projecting,” said Lamb. “More and more young people are frustrated with the cost of living in Toronto, and the inability of Toronto to create housing at a pace that is needed. I believe Hamilton will grow by 10,000 people a year.”